detailed pen tool help needed

tool default seems to revert to filling in every arc. So that had to be fixed even to get started. I tried rubber band, that was annoying. And went nowhere in drawing the wisps.

wrote:
My pen

tool default seems to revert to filling in every arc. So that had to be fixed
even to get started. I tried rubber band, that was annoying. And went nowhere
in drawing the wisps.

You need to set the fill to none and the stroke to the colour you want in order to stop the arcs from filling. That should help you get going. After that, drawing the wisps needs to be done one at a time, deselecting the Pen after each line. That’s how it works in Illy and InDesign.

wrote:
My pen

tool default seems to revert to filling in every arc. So that had to be fixed even to get started. I tried rubber band, that was annoying. And went nowhere in drawing the wisps.

You need to set the fill to none and the stroke to the colour you want in order to stop the arcs from filling. That should help you get going. After that, drawing the wisps needs to be done one at a time, deselecting the Pen after each line. That’s how it works in Illy and InDesign.

http://tinypic.com/r/1rf19f/6

Is it possible that anyone can explain in detail how this particular image is done with the pen tool ?

the top shows 3 points. the 2 to the right I can’t figure how to create them.
Then at the bottom 3 more points, and I can’t get either of the points to the left. BUT… the pen drawing I create resembles this to some degree.
But there’s nowhere near the manipulation with mine, as with the actual drawing, It’s supposed to be just wisps of smoke rising with gradients.
I have the entire Veerles blog tutorial on this, but it’s embarrassing when she says a basic knowledge of PS is necessary. I’d put myself at least 1 step above basic. And Pen tool should never be classified basic. I’ve been wrestling with pen tool for more than a year.
If anyone’s interested in which Veerles blog it is, it’s http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/create_a_magical_rainbo w_color_flame_in_photoshop/
There’s way more to pen tool than I’m familiar with and just the beginning of this one throws me ie: numbered pen strokes from 1 – what looks like 6 strokes with the numbers at the end of each stroke would go a long way to doing this. Or does anyone know of GOOD pen tutorials that go beyond ‘here it is, now duplicate it.’ I’m thinking the pen tool setup would be a big help also. My pen tool default seems to revert to filling in every arc. So that had to be fixed even to get started. I tried rubber band, that was annoying. And went nowhere in drawing the wisps.